


no ones gonna catch us now

by quincycarter



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: "Platonic" Intimacy, AU, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Amnesty, Amnesty au, Aspec Jake Coolice, Canon Demi Character, Canon Trans Character, Demi Jake Coolice, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Dinners, Family Dynamics, Feelings Realization, Kissing, M/M, Marijuana, Meeting the Parents, Nail Polish, Practice Kissing, Recreational Drug Use, Sharing a Bed, TAZ: Amnesty - Freeform, Trans Jake Coolice, Trans Kirby, Trans Male Character, its not like a Thing that hes trans though, oh fuck i just remembered i should add the friendship relationship tags at some point. aaaa, oh! theres some sternclay but again not enough for the tag, platonic intimacy, probably shoulda tagged that earlier oops, tags will be added as they apply, theres a whole chapter of it. im gay., theres also danbrey but this isnt a danbrey fic... somehow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23087113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quincycarter/pseuds/quincycarter
Summary: Jake needs a date for his best friend's wedding. His roommate volunteers. Shenanigans ensue.
Relationships: Barclay & Jake Coolice, Barclay & Mama (The Adventure Zone), Dani & Mama (The Adventure Zone), Jake Coolice & Aubrey Little, Jake Coolice & Dani, Jake Coolice & Dani & Aubrey Little, Jake Coolice & Hollis, Jake Coolice/Kirby, Kirby & Agent Stern
Comments: 38
Kudos: 25





	1. makin up problems that dont exist

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote an 18k word fic in five days and this is that fic
> 
> ive been sitting on it for like a month to make sure its postable quality but im pretty proud of it so here goes
> 
> alpha read by theatricuddles
> 
> beta read by astrophels
> 
> fic title from cavetowns "devil town" (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/devil-town)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from cavetowns "meteor shower" (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/meteor-shower)

Jake woke up to an unusually angled beam of sun. It took him a moment to realize where he was, but he smiled when he realized he’d fallen asleep next to Kirby, their dorm mattresses lying next to each other on the floor of their dorm. The Super Smash Bros: Ultimate loading screen was still glowing from Kirby’s Nintendo Switch in front of them, tempting Jake, but his phone buzzed before he could even glance at the Joy-Cons. He sighed, reaching for his phone on the desk next to him.

  
  


walking bi stereotype: jake holy shit

stuntmaster420: why are you texting me at nine in the morning on a saturday arent you usually asleep at this hour

walking bi stereotype: yes but listen

walking bi stereotype: i have really big news

walking bi stereotype: like really really big news

stuntmaster420: whats up?

walking bi stereotype: im?? engaged????

stuntmaster420: what the FUCK

walking bi stereotype: i KNOW dani and i were smoking last night and she was like hey wanna get married and i was like yeah ofc and she was like im not joking and i was like yeah neither am i and she was like cool how does the last weekend of spring break sound and i was like. okay.

walking bi stereotype: and i wasnt like 100% certain she was serious but THEN this MORNING she was just like

walking bi stereotype: so i was thinking small ceremony, big reception?

walking bi stereotype: and i was like. holy shit

walking bi stereotype: ANYWAY all this to say

walking bi stereotype: youre coming to our wedding

walking bi stereotype: dani is looking over my shoulder and says if you dont come shell use you as fertilizer

stuntmaster420: tell her to chill im totally coming!!

walking bi stereotype: HELL yeah

walking bi stereotype: you get a plus one but like obv you dont have to bring somebody

walking bi stereotype: i really hope its not weird that youre like the only single one our age

walking bi stereotype: uh i mean

stuntmaster420: good thing i have a boyfriend then

walking bi stereotype: WHAT

walking bi stereotype: whomst...

stuntmaster420: youll see ;)

walking bi stereotype: 👀

  
  


Jake felt a sense of panic filling his body. Not only did he not have a boyfriend, he had no idea why he had said that he did... But it wasn't exactly easy to tell Aubrey he’d lied, even on accident. Which only made the panic worse, of course. Lying to Aubrey meant lying to Dani, Mama, his dad, Joseph... Hollis and Keith... He wasn’t sure he could manage that!

Maybe he could stage a breakup. Or hope she’d forget. Or–

Kirby yawned, then sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Mornin’.”

“Oh. Kirby. Hi.” Jake tried to grin at his roommate, but his nerves must’ve shown, because Kirby frowned.

“What’s up? You look bummed.”

“Uh, well, Aubrey and Dani got engaged, and Aubrey was talking about how I’m the only single one in the group, and I panicked and said I had a boyfriend, and I don’t, and now they’re going to expect me to bring somebody to the wedding? And also the wedding is in a month.”

“Holy shit, dude! That’s awesome for them, but, also, holy shit, where are you gonna find a boyfriend that quick? Aren’t you demi?”

“Yeah...” Jake sighed and flopped down so he was lying on Kirby’s lap. “I might just ask someone to pretend to be my boyfriend, but I can’t think of anyone I’m that close to that they don’t know... Well, except you, but...”

“I mean, I’ll do it.” Kirby carded his fingers through Jake’s hair soothingly as he spoke.

“Wait, seriously? I thought you’d think it was weird.” Jake laughed a bit, trying to avoid thinking about the catch in his breath at the idea.

“Well, yeah, it’s weird, but that’s sort of my business! Would a true cryptozoolojournalist run from weirdness?”

“I think you just made that word up.”

“And I think you’ve gotta be nicer than that if you’re gonna be my fake boyfriend.”

Jake sighed, feeling Kirby’s fingers lightly scratching at the nape of his neck, helping his worries melt away. “I mean... Yeah. What could go wrong, right?”


	2. fabricate a lie and relay it back to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from cavetowns "telescope" (listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxGvrdqRLEA)

Kirby laid out a few printed sheets of paper on the table they were sharing in the cafeteria.

“Okay, so the biggest thing on the articles I was reading is that we have to get our story straight. Or, um, gay, for us.”

“Right. A lot of the folks back home have heard me mention you as my roommate, so that’s probably how we met, and we need to have been together for long enough that it’s not weird for me to bring you to my best friends’ wedding...”

“How does five months sound? We would’ve gotten together in mid-September...”

“I don’t know... That seems a little quick.”

“Well, we’ve lived together for one and a half years now. It doesn’t seem that quick to me.”

“You’re right. How about four and a half months, then? Then we would’ve had enough time to get resettled in the dorm before getting together, and I wouldn’t have been lying all summer.”

“Yeah, alright! You would’ve been lying over winter break, though...”

“Eh, I’ve never been one to talk about partners a lot. Ten days really isn’t long enough for it to be considered lying, for me.”

“Right, yeah. Okay. We’ll have to figure out how we got together, too, and–”

Kirby was interrupted by Alicia Keys singing “Girl on Fire” at top volume from Jake’s phone, and Jake winced as the cafeteria gave him dirty looks. “Shit, that’s Aubrey, I gotta take it.”

Jake held his phone in front of him as he answered the video call, and Kirby immediately made a funny face from behind the screen, because what good is a friend if they don’t embarrass you in front of your other friends?

Jake snorted, and Kirby heard a high pitched voice say, “Wow, am I really that ugly without makeup?”

“Sorry, sorry– Kirby was goofing around again.” Jake rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

“Oh, sure. I think you just don’t wanna admit that you’re secretly mean.”

“Aubrey, stop!”

“Whatever, I’m a thirsty little flower! You have to water me! You have to use your tea!” 

“Oh, ew! Can you please just ask me for information like a normal person?” Jake made a face.

“Absolutely not. Tell me about your boyfriend, though!”

Jake smiled, but there was a bit of panic in his eyes when they locked with Kirby’s. Kirby thought as quickly as possible, then blurted, “Wait, you told her?”

No, that was stupid.

But Aubrey was already shouting, “Holy shit, it’s Kirby?”

Somebody in the distance of the call shouted, “I knew it!”

Jake made a face Kirby couldn’t interpret, and Kirby blushed a bit. After a second, Jake muttered, “We, um, it’s not really public knowledge yet, we wanted to make sure it would, uh, last...”

“Right, right, I getcha. You’re nerds.”

“Well, that’s– That’s one way to put it.” Jake sighed, looking as regretful as Kirby had ever seen him.

“So, how did this even happen?”

“I, uh... Well, see, that’s a fun one...”

“Here, I’ll take it.” Kirby held out his hand for the phone, and Jake wordlessly handed it over.

On the screen, he saw a girl with medium brown skin and a bright red shock of hair, still in pajamas on a ratty old couch. She grinned like a shark when she saw him, and he noticed her eyes were an unsettling orange.

“So you’re Kirby, huh?”

“Um... Yes. You’re Aubrey?”

“Yeah! Now, tea! Spill it!”

“Uh, well, okay, so we’ve been roommates for, like, a year and a half, right? Uh, in October, we were just hanging out, and he was sort of laying on me, uh, like he does, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s kind of gay, Jake,’ and I guess things just went from there...”

“Aw!” Aubrey holds a hand over her heart, smiling. “He must really like you, he’s never that touchy with people he isn’t close to or into!”

Jake buried his face in his hands as Kirby sputtered, feeling himself turning pink. “He’s... Really been like that for a while, I just assumed it was, um... His default state?”

“No, it’s pretty much exclusive to family, and, you know, romantic interests...” Aubrey winked.

“Um, we really have to get back to our studying,” Jake said, taking his phone back out of Kirby’s hands, having turned an even darker shade of pink.

“Right, yeah... I’ll let you two lovebirds get back to it. Happy Valentine’s day, love you!”

“I love you, too,” Jake said, sighing a bit as he hung up and dropped the phone onto the table’s surface.

There was a long pause before Kirby said, “Uh, sorry, I really did think you were that touchy feely with everybody... I didn’t think she’d make it a thing.”

“No, it’s okay, I just... You heard her, it can be a familial thing too. And it... It is. With you. You’re one of my best friends.” Jake was still a bit pink, and Kirby ignored the slight ache in his chest at his words.

“Yeah, you’re one of my best friends, too.”

There was another pause before Kirby looked up from the paper he was jotting down notes on. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Jake grinned that lopsided grin of his, looking simultaneously excited and terrified, and Kirby felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled back at him. “Yeah, it is.”


	3. im not really sure how this pans out in the real world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from its all good by cavetown (https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/its-all-good)
> 
> ooh now were gettin into the meat of it

Jake broached the subject on another one of their video game nights, around 2 in the morning, two weeks from the wedding.

“So, uh, we should probably set PDA rules. For– For the wedding.”

“Right, yeah. Do you have any, like, hard limits?”

Jake scratched his head, then said, “I mean, I’m fine with anything up to, like, sort of the chill kind of kissing. But not a ton of it? Holding hands and hugging and cuddling and all is fine, though.”

“Oh. Huh. Yeah, I guess couples kiss sometimes, don’t they?”

“Yeah...” Jake trailed off, taking the momentary pause to pick the Wii Fit battlefield, then glanced at Kirby. “Hey, do you think... Do you think we need to practice? I mean, like, sometimes in movies, they, uh... It might be weird, you know, kissing in front of people if we’ve never done it before, and...”

“Oh, uh, maybe, yeah... I’ve never actually kissed anybody, though, I’m probably no good at it...”

“Oh, well, if you’ve never kissed anybody, we can just take that off the table, there’s couples that don’t kiss in front of people, I’m sure they won’t bat an eye...” Jake blushed, focusing very hard on the blue Joy-Con in his hands.

“I mean... Okay, can I say something weird?”

Jake glanced over at Kirby, who looked embarrassed. “I thought weird was your thing?”

“Right, yeah. So, I’ve kind of always wanted to have my first kiss with a friend. Like, a low stakes kiss, one where I know the other person isn’t going to laugh at me, and it isn’t going to fuck things up if I do turn out to be a bad kisser.”

There was a long pause. Jake felt his face heating up even more as he opened his mouth to say, “Okay. So, I’m getting some weird messages here. I’m your friend, and I’d be down for it. I mean, I’d be honored, but I don’t want to pressure you or something, I mean, do you– Would you be okay with this if it weren’t for the wedding?”

There was yet another moment of silence. Jake took it to take a sip of his RC Cola before Kirby said, “Yes. Yeah, definitely. I mean, uh. Yeah. You’re probably my best friend right now, who better, right?”

Jake set his Joy-Con down, swallowing his anxiety and turning to Kirby. “Okay, um... Here. Look at me.”

Kirby did as Jake said, and Jake chose not to comment on how warm Kirby’s face was as he placed a hand against his cheek. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, what else should I do?”

“Just... Close your eyes.” Jake watched Kirby’s eyes shut, and took a deep breath before pressing their lips together for just a second or two, then pulling back.

Kirby opened his eyes after a few more seconds and said, “That’s it? That’s kissing? Why do people make such a big deal out of that?”

“Um, well, there’s also, you know, other sorts of kissing, but I didn’t want it to be weird between us, so, you know...”

“I, um... I wouldn’t be weird about it if you weren’t,” Kirby said, worrying at his lower lip.

“Oh. Um, in that case, uh. I mean. Do you want me to, uh, like, keep kissing you?”

“I mean, no homo, but, yeah, I think I do.”

“Right, yeah. Only bromo.”

“Only bromo.”

“That’s– That’s really dumb.” Jake grinned, trying to cover up his nerves.

“Yeah, I know.”

Jake put his other hand on the back of Kirby’s neck and tried to keep himself steady as he pulled Kirby back towards him, pressing their lips together for a bit longer this time before starting to kiss Kirby properly. After a few seconds, Kirby clumsily started kissing him back, and Jake giggled a bit, not actually pulling away.

They kept at it for a bit longer before Jake pulled away. Kirby started to move with him, but caught himself after a second. Jake cleared his throat, trying not to think about how dizzy Kirby’s strawberry chapstick was making him.

“ _ That’s _ kissing.”

They sat for a second, looking at each other without making eye contact, before Kirby said, “I think I get it now.”

“Yeah. I mean, that’s not the kind of thing to do in public, but, you know...”

“No, yeah, understood.” Kirby looked down at his knees, picking at a loose thread on his pajama pants, before saying, “I think I’ll play Isabelle this round,” and turning back to the Switch.

“Right. Yeah.” Jake turned back to the Switch, but glanced at Kirby again before saying, “I’ll just keep practicing with Toon Link...”

They fell asleep on the floor again. All Jake could hope was that they wouldn’t need to kiss much over spring break, because he wasn’t sure how much more of that he could take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter is the source of the funniest fucking comment from astrophels, on the google doc where i had the line "thats kissing" they really commented "now THIS is podracing," i love my beta readers but they are so fucking nerdy sometimes


	4. whats the point if we cant be friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from cavetowns "ill make cereal" (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/ill-make-cereal and lmk when you notice a theme lmao)
> 
> also this chapter has basically all my favorite descriptions ive literally ever written ahsdkjfjk

Jake reached for the volume dial on the radio, turning the sound completely off before glancing at Kirby. “Okay, we’re almost there, any more questions?”

“No, I think I’m pretty well set...” Kirby fiddled with one of the pins on his flannel. “Two nights to hang out, one night for the bachelorette party, and then the wedding day, right?”

“Yeah. Just four days, and then we’re safe.” Jake adjusted his grip on the wheel, and Kirby went back to staring out his window.

Safe. That was one way to put it, right?

The truth was, Kirby had fallen asleep every night for two weeks wondering if he could kiss Jake again without it being weird. He had always thought Jake was particularly pretty, and nice, and generally his type, and now they were faking a relationship so he wouldn’t be the only single person at his childhood best friend’s wedding– Kissing and all. It couldn’t exactly end well.

Kirby sighed, realizing he’d been chewing his lower lip again. He turned back to Jake and asked, “How much longer?”

“Actually, we’re here!” Jake put the car into park outside a rundown but lively building with a sign that declared it to be “Amnesty Lodge”. “This is my original home!” 

Kirby waited for Jake to get out of the car before following him up to the front door. Before one of them could even knock, though, an older butch in a leather duster was opening the door and smiling warmly at Jake.

“Hey, kiddo.” Jake threw his arms around her and she laughed, ruffling his hair a bit. “How’s the semester been treating you?”

Jake pulled away from her and immediately started rambling about college life, but, before he could get very far, Kirby heard gravel crunching at an alarming speed from behind them. He turned to see an offensively tall girl with long blonde hair and dirty work clothes that could only be described as sapphic.

“Jake!” She sprinted towards the porch, and Jake started sprinting towards her. Kirby was certain they were going to crash into each other and break their necks, but she managed to grab him before they quite collided and turn the momentum into her spinning him around a foot off the ground.

Once she set him back down, the blonde looked at Kirby. “You’re Kirby, right? The boyfriend?”

“Uh... Yes. That’s me. The boyfriend.” Kirby tried not to look uncomfortable as Jake gave him a grin.

“Yep! This is my boyfriend, Kirby! Kirby, this is Dani,” the blonde gave him a peace sign, “And that, is Mama.” The butch on the porch nodded solemnly. 

“Uh, it’s nice to meet you guys!” Kirby gave them a little wave.

“Y’all probably oughta come inside, Barclay’s been pretty anxious to meet you.” The butch– Mama– stepped back inside, holding the door. Jake grabbed Kirby’s hand and dragged him inside, barely giving him time to give Dani a panicked look, one that she just chuckled at before following the others.

Jake pulled Kirby into the kitchen, where the two most fatherly men he’d ever seen were talking casually while Aubrey tried to rip open a particularly stubborn bag of flour with her bare hands behind them. One of the men was... Kirby couldn’t describe him as anything but a bear in an apron. The other looked unfortunately like John Egbert’s dad.

You know, from Homestuck.

Jake, blissfully oblivious to the fact that Kirby had just thought about Homestuck in the year of our Lord 2020, shouted, “Dad! Joe!”

The bear gave Jake the biggest hug Kirby had ever seen, and the other man gave him a pat on the back. Meanwhile, Aubrey looked up like she’d just been caught in the heist of the century, and Dani sighed deeply and walked over to give her a hand.

“Hi! I missed you guys! Um, this is Kirby! My boyfriend!” Jake gestured vaguely to Kirby. There was a moment of awkward silence. Jake did jazz hands, and Kirby snorted.

The bear stepped forward and held out a hand for Kirby to shake. Kirby gave him the firmest handshake he could manage. Then, he smiled. Deep laugh lines appeared all over his face, and Kirby felt his trepidation drain away. He was safe here. “I’m Jake’s dad, you can call me Barclay. And this is Joseph, my boyfriend.” 

Kirby gave Joseph a nod, and Joseph smiled encouragingly.

“It’s nice to meet y’all! I’ve, um, heard a lot about you. Good things, don’t worry!” Kirby scratched the back of his head. “I mean, not even that many things, really. But I liked what I heard!”

Jake’s hand found Kirby’s, and Kirby felt his heart pounding as he heard Jake saying “Hon, it’s alright. Relax.”

“Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I’m just nervous...” Kirby looked down at the ground. “I’ve never done this before.”

“I totally understand, meeting Barclay’s family was nerve wracking for me, too.” Kirby looked up in time to see Joseph give Barclay a fond look. “But they’re a sweet bunch.”

Kirby glanced at Dani tearing into a bag of flour with her teeth.

“Well, mostly.”

“Dani!” Barclay rushed over to take the (somehow neatly opened) bag from Dani’s hands. “The scissors are right there!”

“Oh. Right.”

While the others were distracted, Jake intertwined his fingers with Kirby’s. “Here, let me show you to... Huh. Uh, I actually don’t know how sleeping arrangements are gonna work. Mama?”

Mama sighed deeply. “You’re both adults. Make your own decisions. Stay safe.”

“Thank you!” Jake pulled Kirby down the hall before Mama could change her mind.

Once they were safely cloistered away in what must’ve been Jake’s childhood room, based on the X-Games posters and boy band merchandise, Kirby let out a deep breath.

“Jake, this is... weird.”

“I know. It really is. I guess we’re just going to have to get used to it, though– We’re already here, right?”

“Yeah. I’m sure it won’t take long.” Kirby turned to look around the room, and noticed one glaring problem. “Uh, Jake? Are you gonna be comfortable sharing a bed with me?”

“Oh, shit, are you? I just assumed– You know, ‘cause of our game nights...”

“No, no, it’s fine with me,” Kirby assured Jake, despite the fact that their last game night had been decidedly weird. “Two bros, chillin’ in the one bed,” he sang.

Jake caught on quickly. “Pillow barrier ‘cause they’re not gay!” 

“Hell yeah! This’ll be great.” Kirby realized his hand was still in Jake’s, and pulled it free wordlessly to lightly slug Jake’s shoulder.

There was a quiet knock on the door, and Dani poked her head inside. “Hey, do y’all wanna do dinner with everybody tonight? We gotta get to know Kirby somehow, right?”

Jake looked at Kirby and shrugged. “We don’t have other plans, and I’d love to catch up with the fam...”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Sweet, I’ll go let Mama and Barclay know!” The door closed, and, by the sound of it, Dani ran back down the hallway to tell Mama and Barclay they’d be having a family dinner.

“So, is Mama’s name actually Mama? Is she your mom or Dani’s? Or neither? What’s her story?”

“Oh! Right, yeah, so, Mama isn’t actually my mom, but, as far as we know, she’s Dani’s. When Dani and I were little, Dad met Mama and they decided to get married for the financial benefits after a while. When Dad met Joe, they decided to get a divorce, so Dad wasn’t tied down to somebody he wasn’t in love with.” Jake laughed drily, rolling his eyes a bit. “I guess I’m following in the family footsteps, huh?”

Kirby laughed too, at that. “I guess so, yeah.”

After a long pause, Jake clapped his hands together. “Well, I’m gonna go see how Dani’s garden is doing– Wanna come with?”

“Uh, yeah, sounds great!”


	5. its all coming back to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title from cavetowns "16/04/16 (jacks song)" (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/16-04-16-jacks-song)
> 
> sorry i forgot to upload this before midnight (at least my time, with any luck all my readers are in california?) i was really busy today (yesterday?)
> 
> to make up for it, one of the longest chapters in the whole dang fic! i totally planned this /j

Dani was chatting with Mama when Jake plopped his crossed arms down on top of Dani’s head.

“Who the fu– Oh, hey, Jake.” Dani rolled her eyes, tilting her head back to see Jake (and knock his arms off her head). 

“Hey, Dan. Missed you.” 

“I missed you too, dweeb.”

“Can you show us the garden?”

Dani sighed deeply. “In a minute, I’m helping Mama with some of the logistics of the wedding. It’s sort of dead right now, though.” Jake noticed a few papers splayed out on the table with seating charts, schedules, and other organizational minutiae. 

“Oh, yeah, okay. Let me know when you’re done!”

“Alright– Hey, Aubrey’s out front, sounded like she had something to tell you, too.”

“Gotcha. See you guys!”

“Bye!” Dani turned back to the table, and Mama waved Jake off before diving right back into some organizational work.

Jake glanced behind him to see Kirby a few feet away in the hall.

“You guys are so... Domestic.”

Jake walked over and took Kirby’s hand to walk him over to the door. “I mean, yeah. They’re family, you know?”

“I guess, yeah. My family didn’t do a lot of that, so...”

“Oh, right. God, I can’t imagine, though...”

“I mean, I can’t imagine being that... Touchy feely all the time.” Kirby smiled awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. Jake was suddenly very aware of their interlocking fingers.

“You know, if you want me to let go, I can.”   
  
Kirby’s eyes widened, and he blushed. “Oh, no, this is fine– Just weird. But, you know me...”

“You do love weird.” Jake ruffled Kirby’s hair good naturedly, and Kirby honest-to-God giggled.

When they reached the porch, Aubrey waved them down from an old lawn chair next to the fire pit. “Hey, Kirby, have you got any dietary restrictions? I gotta know for our bachelorette party. We bought, like, way too many snacks. We don’t have any vegan stuff, though, do we need some?”

“Oh, I’m good– Thanks for the consideration, though, but, as long as there’s stuff that doesn’t have milk or avocado in it, I’m fine.”

“Wait, avocado?” Aubrey leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees to prop up her head.

“Yeah, world’s weirdest allergy, I know.” Kirby rolled his eyes, blushing a bit. “Combined with the lactose intolerance, I’m a white mom’s nightmare. Source: My white mom.” 

Aubrey laughed at that. “Oh, Gods, I can imagine. One of my white friends, her mom was obsessed with avocados. One time, I went over there, and she ate a whole peeled avocado for lunch. Like, that was her whole lunch.”

“Oh my god– My mom did that! It was ‘cause of her diet, though.”

“Disgusting.”

“I know!”

Jake grinned, sitting on the stone wall encircling the fire pit. “At least they weren’t eating it with the peel.”

“You know, Dani did that a few weeks ago? With a lemon, not an avocado.” 

“Oh my god, of course she did.” Jake shook his head good naturedly, and Kirby laughed, sitting on the ground next to him.

“Yeah. She ate the whole thing, too. I got a video, but it’s on my camera.”

“Aw, bummer– I gotta see that.”

“Why don’t you guys just come over tonight?”

“Family dinner,” Kirby said, shrugging.

“Well, what about tomorrow night? Oh, wait, Jake– Is he, like... You know, chill?”

“She wants to know if you’re a narc,” Jake stage whispered to Kirby. Kirby laughed.

“Yeah, I’m chill.”

“Sweet.” Aubrey leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the fluffy clouds overhead. “Damn, it’s nice out.”

Kirby looked at her for a second, then shrugged, laying down in the conveniently placed patch of clover he’d been sitting in. Jake looked at him tracking a cloud’s trajectory and found himself smiling involuntarily.

“Hey, can I lay with you?”

“Get down here,” Kirby said, waving Jake down.

Jake grinned and laid next to Kirby, trying to find an interesting cloud above him. Kirby’s arm brushed against his as he reached up to point out a particularly round cloud.

“That one looks like a peach.”

“Oh, shit, it does!” Aubrey held up her phone to snap a picture in the corner of Jake’s eye. Then, she angled the camera to take a few pictures of the boys.

“Aubrey!” Jake whined. “At least ask!”

“Sorry, you guys are just so cute like that!” 

Jake felt himself blushing, and Kirby’s hand dropped down to cover his face. Jake glanced over to see Kirby blushing even more, and he felt empowered to say, “You’re embarrassing us!” 

“Aw, okay, no more pictures.”

“Thanks.” Jake turned his gaze back to the clouds, and they fell into a silent appreciation of the sky’s beauty.

They weren’t there long, though, before the familiar sound of Dani’s work boots hitting the wooden floor of the porch snapped them all out of their trance.

“Hey, nerds– You wanted to see the garden, right?” 

“Oh, yeah!” Jake clambered to his feet and held a hand out for Kirby. Kirby took it wordlessly, waving to Aubrey once he was standing up.

“The cloud watching was fun, I’ll see you?”

“Hell yeah,” Aubrey said, still looking up at the sky. “Oh, Dani, the boys are coming over tomorrow night.”

“Oh, cool. Here, follow me.”

Jake and Kirby followed Dani to the side of the Lodge, where she and Mama had set up a sizable garden with several outlying patches of flowers and berry bushes about ten years before. Jake really didn’t know much about gardening, but he knew Kirby had always wanted to have a garden, and he watched as Dani explained which bushes flowered when, what soils they needed, and every other detail she could give about such a barren garden.

Kirby hung onto every word, and Dani gave Jake knowing looks every few minutes. She even showed Kirby the fruit trees she’d planted a few years ago, excitedly explaining that the apples should start producing either this year or the next.

“Wow, that’s really cool, Dani! I’ve always wanted to garden...”

“You should come up this summer, I’ll get you some experience– We’re growing watermelons this year!”

Kirby started to take her up on the offer, then turned to Jake with a confused expression. “Um...”

“I mean, I think it sounds fun,” Jake said, giving Kirby what he hoped was an encouraging smile as he tried not to imagine a full three months of strawberry chapstick and Kirby’s soft hands in his.

“Hell yeah!” Dani gave Jake a substantial pat on the back as they started heading back to the front of the Lodge.

“Jesus, Dani, have you been working out?”

“Oh, I’ve just been helping the rangers out with some jobs since Duck, Juno, and Minerva went to Brazil. Mostly heavy lifting stuff.”

“Oh, yeah– Are they going to be in town for the wedding?” 

“Duck is, Minerva isn’t really a wedding person, though, and Juno couldn’t get any time off. Well, technically, Duck couldn’t either, but they managed to talk their boss into just one of them going.”

“Sucks that Juno can’t come...”

“Yeah, well, duty calls, right? Besides, she’s sent enough congratulatory postcards for a decade-long honeymoon. The fridge is covered.”

“I’ll bet– She does love her postcards.”

“Is this the same person that sent you that postcard of Bigfoot in a Hawaiian shirt?”

“That’s the one,” Jake said, laughing.

“She really has trans guy sensibilities down to a T. No pun intended.”

Before Jake could respond, Barclay stepped onto the porch to ring a cowbell hanging from the roof.

“Aw, shit, it’s time for dinner.” Jake pulled Kirby up to the front door while Dani gave Aubrey a peck on the cheek, then took her hand and walked her to the door after them.

Somebody had set out little seat markers, a habit Mama had gotten into when Dani had started bringing home girlfriends and doubled down on when Jake had started bringing home random feral queers. Jake took his seat next to Kirby’s, and laughed a bit when Kirby leaned over towards him to whisper, “Do y’all say grace?”

“We’re  _ all _ pagans here, Kirbs– You’re good,” Jake whispered back.

Kirby smiled and nodded, and Jake patted his hand.

“Alright, y’all, go on and get yourselves some food!” Mama clapped her hands together, and Jake leaned over to Kirby.

“We usually just serve ourselves, let me know if there's anything you aren’t sure about.”

“Got it.” Kirby picked up on their serving habits pretty quickly, but Jake kept an eye on him anyways, just in case.

“So, uh, Jake, Kirby... How did you two get together?” Joseph was the first person to speak after everybody had served themselves. 

“Oh, uh...” Jake looked at Kirby, feeling his heart race. “It sort of just... Happened one day, back in October. We were sort of messing around, and Kirby was like, ‘that’s kinda gay,’ and I was like, ‘I guess it is,’ and then we kept talking, and we realized, uh... We’d gotten pretty close, I guess it was just the next logical step for us.”

“Yeah.” Kirby was looking down and studying his mashed potatoes very carefully so the table wouldn’t see his blush, but Jake’s vantage point made it a moot point for him. “You know how it is... Repressed feelings, and over about a million game nights and study dates... It’s like the feelings were building, and we couldn’t just keep ignoring them.”

“That’s sweet.” Barclay took a sip of water. “We’ve been hearing about you for a while, so I’ll try not to pry, but... Have you decided on a major?”

Kirby thought for a moment. “Well, I’m really torn, actually. My favorite professor thinks I should major in theater– He, uh, teaches it– But I hate the stage, I’ve only been an extra once or twice because they really needed one, I’d rather be a tech. And I’ve been considering computer science, it’s kind of a guaranteed job, and I’m pretty good with computers, but I’d really love to major in journalism. I actually work with the school newspaper. But I’m mostly taking computer-related classes right now, because my parents don’t really... Like the idea of their kid being a journalist.”

“Wow. That’s a lot of options.” Joseph raised an eyebrow.

“I guess it is.” Kirby blushed, looking down at his plate.

“I think you’d be a good journalist,” Dani mused. “You were really interviewing me out in the garden, and you had some good questions.”

“You know, she has a point,” Jake said, nudging Kirby. “When we met, you definitely interrogated me.”

Kirby did that nervous half-giggle again, saying, “Aw, you guys are so sweet...”

Mama chuckled from somewhere deep within her chest. “I know it’s a bit early to say it, but... You did good with this one, Jake.”

It was Jake’s turn to blush. He pushed all the thoughts of what would happen after the wedding to the back of his mind and put a hand on Kirby’s. “Yeah, I’d say so, too.”


	6. i still get a little scared of something new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from devil town by cavetown (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/devil-town)
> 
> this ones really short so youre getting two chapters today congrats! also tysm for the support you guys own ALL my uwus

Back in Jake’s room, Kirby sighed, toeing off his shoes. “That was... Kinda weird, I won’t lie.”

“Yeah, it was definitely weird for me, too.” Jake stretched his arms above his head. “You know, it’s funny... I don’t think they’ve ever liked one of my real partners that much.”

Kirby laughed, but his hand twitched a bit as he sat on the side of the bed. “Hey, uh... Speaking of that, what are we supposed to do after the wedding? Like, are we going to tell them we broke up or something?”

Jake froze, arms still in the air. He blinked a few times, then dropped his arms. “I won’t lie, I did not think that far ahead.”

Kirby looked at Jake tiredly. “We had a month to figure this out, you know, and neither of us thought about it. You realize that?”

Jake winced. “Yeah...”   


“We’ve gotta figure something out, dude... I mean, we can’t keep this going for that long, one of us is bound to end up with a real partner at some point, right?”

“I mean, yeah. Probably.” Jake sat down next to Kirby. “You’re getting along with everybody so well, though... I want you guys to be able to be friends. And it’s so awkward being friends with somebody who your best friend dated for, like, six months.”

“Are you suggesting that we just keep up the ruse?”

“I mean... At least until one of us gets a real partner, yeah.”

Kirby thought about that for a moment. He’d really only ever had two partners, both of whom he never met in real life. It was easier to imagine himself with Jake than it was with anybody else, really. He knew what Jake’s eyes looked like up close, when he did and didn’t bind, what his lips tasted like... What his type was...

So he’d imagine Jake with somebody else. He did his best to approximate the guy Jake was dating when they first met, one year older than them, with pierced ears and piercing eyes. The figure in his mind planted a kiss on Jake’s forehead, and Kirby blinked, startled by the pang of jealousy he felt.

He realized then that he didn’t really want to drop the ruse. He liked the feeling of Jake’s hand in his. He liked hearing Jake’s family tell him he “did well” with Kirby. He liked being with Jake, even though he knew it wasn’t real.

He  _ wanted _ to be with Jake. For real.

He blinked back a few stray tears, determined, for the first time in the year and a half that they’d known each other, not to let Jake see him cry.

“Maybe we should figure it out after the wedding.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”


	7. its alright, come inside and talk to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from talk to me by cavetown (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/talk-to-me)
> 
> okay end of double update!

Kirby yawned, stretching out in Jake’s bed. Jake had left about an hour ago for his morning jog, leaving Kirby to finish waking up on his own. He stumbled out of bed, putting in his contacts and yawning once more for good measure before walking into the living room of the Lodge, where he found Joseph sitting on the couch, looking like the ultimate picture of white, suburban America as he sipped coffee and read the local newspaper.

Joseph looked up at Kirby and smiled, his eyes crinkling warmly as he said, “Oh, Kirby, good morning. How did you sleep?”

Kirby sighed. “You know. I slept.” He rubbed his eyes blearily.

“That bad, huh? There’s coffee in the kitchen– Actually, I’ll just show you where everything is,” Joseph said, getting up before Kirby could assure him that he was fine, really.

“Thanks, you don’t have to do that, though.”

“I know, but I want to.” Joseph cracked his neck as he led Kirby into the kitchen, then took cow milk, almond milk, and chocolate syrup out of the fridge and gestured to the coffee machine on the counter, right next to a sizable sugar container and a much smaller cinnamon shaker.

“Wow, you all take coffee seriously.” Kirby poured himself a cup of coffee, then gratefully took the almond milk from the counter where Joseph had set it down and poured in... A bit less than he liked, really, but he didn’t want to look like a baby in front of Jake’s family.

Joseph laughed. “Have you seen Mama? I’m pretty sure the stuff runs through her veins.” Kirby cracked a smile as he dumped in a good amount of sugar, then started to mix it with his finger. Joseph stopped him with a hand on his wrist, then gestured to a cup of flat, tan sticks. “Here, they have stirrers.”

Kirby grinned sheepishly. “Oh. Wait, are these spaghetti noodles?” He took one and started to stir his coffee while Joseph explained.

“Linguine noodles, actually. They’re more environmentally friendly.”

“That’s really smart!” Kirby grinned as Joseph pointed to another cup with a few noodles in it and a sticky note labeling it as “used.”

“Yeah, it was Dani’s idea. Or was it Aubrey’s? Sometimes, it feels like they’re one particularly eccentric girl...” Joseph shook his head, smiling. “I could say the same for the whole family, really.”

“Yeah, everyone here seems really close,” Kirby said. “My family was never this tight knit.”

“Well, you’re fitting right in.” Joseph started walking back towards the living room, gesturing for Kirby to follow.

“Really? I feel so weird here... Almost like an intruder.” Kirby chuckled awkwardly as he sat down next to Joseph on the couch.

“You aren’t acting like an intruder, though. You and Jake... You act so natural together, I guess that’s what it is. Your love for each other blends right into ours.”

Kirby blushed, looking down at his coffee. “That’s a really sweet way of looking at things.”

“I guess so.” Joseph gazed at the wall across from them. It was covered in photographs. Pictures of a younger, clean-shaven Barclay holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket, pictures of a more feminine version of Mama holding hands with a toddler who must’ve been Dani walking down the sidewalk, pictures of Jake and Dani in very messy matching dresses next to a finger painted sign that was clearly supposed to say “Amnesty Lodge,” pictures of all four of them wearing semi-formal outfits and posing awkwardly in front of the lake (Jake and Mama now wearing menswear)... All the way up to pictures of Barclay and Joseph holding hands behind a dabbing Jake, Mama and a few forest rangers Kirby didn’t recognize laughing, and one particularly blurry picture of all five of them trying to fit in one rapidly sinking canoe.

After a few moments of silence, Kirby looked over at Joseph. “This must be a crazy family to just wander into. How did you end up here?”

Joseph laughed, shaking his head slowly. “That’s quite a story... Do you want the short version, or the long version?”

“Why would anybody want the short version?”

Joseph laughed again before launching into his story. “Well, a few years back, the local authorities got suspicious of Barclay and Mama. They’d been running the Lodge for about a decade by then, and the Lodge itself wasn’t actually bringing in enough money to support it, so they thought there was some kind of drug operation going on here. I happened to be visiting the area, and my bosses back at the FBI suggested I stop by, because they’d supposedly found some link between Mama and a drug cartel, believe it or not.” 

“Wait, the FBI?” Kirby settled into his seat a bit more comfortably as Joseph shook his head.

“Yes, I’ve never been one for conventional careers. So, I got here, and I immediately fell in love with the place... Of course, one of the employees being Barclay didn’t hurt. Jake and Dani were... Ooh, fifteen or sixteen, at the time, and they were pretty endearing too, I won’t lie. I decided I’d get a room here for a few days, and a few days turned into a few weeks... After about a month, my higher-ups were asking why I’d been here for so long, and I was forced to do a bit of poking around.”

Kirby nodded, taking a sip of coffee and watching Joseph intently.

“Well, it turned out the extra revenue was from Mama’s secret side gig as an artist. So I looked into the supposed link between Mama and this drug cartel, and it turned out to be blown way out of proportion– Mama had sold a sculpture to a gallery, and that gallery had sold the sculpture to an art collector who happened to move drugs as a side hustle. My bosses said they needed me back at home, so I went back, but I couldn’t get this place off my mind. I started making excuses to make return trips, to the point that I was probably coming down here once a month. Mama and Barclay started giving me a discount rate, I was visiting so much. One day, Barclay and I were talking, and I told him why I’d made that first visit. He didn’t seem too happy about it, and I was so mad at myself over it that I didn’t come back for a few months...”

Kirby made a vague noise of sympathy, but Joseph waved it off, continuing his story.

“Until Barclay called me on my work cell, saying he was really sorry if he’d scared me off. I came back, and the visits only got more frequent from there. Eventually, we went out drinking, and he asked why I was in town, if it was for business or for pleasure. I told him somebody in town had caught my eye, and he asked who... So I told him, well, there’s this man with the softest hands and the nicest eyes and the best name I’d ever heard working at a local establishment. Of course, he asked how the hell I’d met Duck Newton, and if I knew that was a nickname.”

Kirby snorted. A bit of coffee came out of his nose, but he gestured for Joseph to continue.

“So I corrected myself, telling him it was the second best name I’d ever heard. He asked what that name could possibly be, and I chickened out. Said I didn’t really want him to know quite yet. A few hours later, on the way back to the Lodge, he said, ‘you know, Joe, it’s kind of a bummer that you’ve got somebody in mind.’ I asked why that could possibly be a bummer, and he told me he thought he might be in love with me. Well, I stopped right there on the side of the road and kissed him, of course, and we sped all the way back to the Lodge. I ended up falling asleep in his room, and Mama saw me leaving. All she said was, ‘it’s about time.’”

“That’s so cute!”

“Maybe it is, but I was embarrassed as hell. Somebody must’ve told Jake, too, because, as soon as the kid got out of the shower, he was hugging me, saying he was so excited and asking if I’d be moving in. I was even more embarrassed at that, but not nearly as embarrassed as Barclay– He spat his coffee right back into its cup. Dani spent the next five minutes cackling while Jake apologized. A week later, I quit my job and started working at a nearby coffee shop. By the end of the month, I’d moved in.”

“Wow.” Kirby wiped a tear away, smiling. “That’s really sweet.”

“So is your story.” Joseph patted Kirby’s shoulder as he stammered. “Come on, best friends turned lovers? There’s nothing sweeter than that.”

“I– Um– I guess it is pretty sweet.” Kirby worried at his lower lip, staring into his coffee.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that– I guess it’s just refreshing to see so many young people so in love with each other.”

“It’s nice to see older people in love, too.”

“Huh?”

Kirby looked over at Joseph. “You know, it’s... Seeing adults, real adults, in love with each other... Especially when they’re gay, it makes it feel like we have a future.”

“Wow.” Joseph smiled, eyes watering a bit. “That’s... That’s sweet, Kirby. That’s really sweet.”

Kirby just shrugged, smiling. “I do my best.”

The front door creaked open, and Kirby saw Jake’s familiar mop of blonde hair before he even stepped inside, still panting slightly from his run. Kirby’s smile only grew wider when he saw Jake smiling at him.

“Mama was right, Jake– This one’s a keeper.” Joseph patted Kirby’s shoulder, and Kirby blushed.

Jake walked over and pressed a tiny kiss on Kirby’s forehead. “Why else would he be here?”

Kirby shook his head good-naturedly, but not enough to knock Jake’s hand off his cheek. “Go shower, nerd.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl i did not ship sternclay before writing this chapter but now?? hoo boi


	8. i feel a little safer when im with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from devil town by cavetown (i used this song for the the fic itself and chapter six so im not linking it lol)
> 
> yeah so theres weed use in this chapter, but its plot relevant so you cant really skip it? sorry. also it hasnt actually been beta read? and has some of the bits im not Sure about in it... but, uh, its fine.
> 
> also im so sorry there was no update yesterday i forgot to upload the chapter ahsdjfhdjf therell be two chapters today to make up for it... todays chapters are both long ones too so. have fun

Jake put his car into park outside Dani and Aubrey’s trailer. The garden on one side of it had new trellises at the end, and they’d added a fire pit on one end, but, otherwise, it looked about the same as it did the last time he was home from college. 

“It’s still so weird that they have a whole house.” Jake sighed, shaking his head.

“That’s probably how they feel about you going to college, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jake laughed. “Well, we shouldn’t keep them waiting too long.”

As they headed up the steps to their porch, Kirby looked around like he was trying to take in everything about their surroundings. 

Aubrey and Dani were living on the edge of town, in the kind of neighborhood that was a decent split between trailers and houses. Pine trees towered above them, and the faint smell of woodsmoke permeated the air at all times, making Jake’s shoulders release all their tension. Kirby didn’t look as relaxed, though.

Jake slipped up behind him, sliding his arms around Kirby. “Hey. You doin’ alright?”

“Yeah, I’m– I’m fine. You know, you don’t have to do that when–”

Kirby was cut off by Aubrey opening the door with a grin. “Hey, guys, you’re just in time, I made cookies!”

Jake sniffed the air as he stepped inside. “Really? I don’t smell any smoke...”

Kirby chuckled, but Aubrey sighed. “Ha ha, very funny. I’m getting way better at baking, trust me.”

“I’m messin’ with you!” Jake lightly slugged her shoulder, and Aubrey laughed.

“Whatever...” 

Dani walked out of their bedroom, then smiled. “Oh, hey, you guys, how was today?”

“Boring, mostly... My run was nice, though,” Jake said, plopping down on their couch.

“Actually, I had a really good conversation with Joseph this morning– He’s a really interesting guy,” Kirby said, taking a seat next to Jake.

“Really?” Dani rolled her eyes a bit as Aubrey pressed forward. “I’ve always thought he was sort of boring.”

“I mean, that’s the thing... He’s  _ classic _ . He looks like a white suburban dad, he talks like an 80 year old gay man... And he’s just so damn nice!” Kirby rolled his eyes when he saw Aubrey raise an eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah, diagnose me with daddy issues all you want, but I think he’s cool.”

“You do tend to imprint on every gay man over the age of 40, you know,” Jake goaded him, nudging his side.

“Oh, shut up, I’m cute.”

“Oh, shit– You listen to Badvertising?” Aubrey’s eyes went wide, and Dani sighed, realizing she was in for the most time consuming three-person infodump she’d ever witnessed.

“Who did you think introduced Jake to it?” Kirby grinned, and Aubrey launched into her theory about the episode titles.

“So, I don’t know if you noticed, but the first 18 episodes are in an unknown season, at least on iTunes. And the episode titles in season 1, if you isolate the first letter of each one, you can see that they’re starting to spell out words!” Jake and Kirby listened to Aubrey’s rambling, interjecting and expanding at every chance they got.

After another half an hour of their collective rambling, Dani walked over to Aubrey and ruffled her hair. “Hey, do you guys wanna go smoke? ‘Cause I wanna go smoke.”

Jake looked to Kirby, raising an eyebrow. Kirby shrugged and said, “Sure.”

“Alright, yeah.” Jake stood up when he saw Aubrey nod, waiting for Kirby and Aubrey to get up too to start walking out towards their garage.

When they got into the garage, Dani gestured to a small arrangement of folding chairs and an old couch centered around a coffee table and a blocky TV with a VCR hooked up to it, a far cry from the handful of cold metal chairs they’d had during winter break. “You guys sit anywhere, Aubrey, why don’t you put on Fantasia for background noise?”

“Alright!” Aubrey cracked her knuckles and turned on the TV, setting the VHS tape currently in the player to rewind.

While the girls busied themselves, Jake sat down on the couch, then looked up at Kirby and made grabby hands, grinning like an idiot. Kirby sighed deeply and sat next to Jake, putting an arm around him for a quick hug before going back to sitting like a friend instead of a boyfriend.

“We got a new dealer, so this stuff is gonna be a little stronger than you’re used to, fair warning.” Dani sat down in one of the folding chairs, kicking on the space heater next to the TV and working on loading a pipe while Aubrey played with the settings on the TV.

“This is a cool setup,” Kirby commented, looking around at the posters and things scattered about.

“Thanks, we like it a lot,” Aubrey said. “It’s been a while in the making, but I think it’s finally about done. Oh, do y’all need a blanket?” Before the boys could answer, she chucked a blanket at them. “Here, just take this.”

“Uh, thanks!” Kirby smiled, awkward but genuine, and Jake patted his knee in an attempt to reassure him. He had no way of knowing if it worked.

They passed the pipe around for a while, getting sufficiently high while Aubrey and Jake rambled about cheesy movies, weird music, and their recent antics, while Dani and Kirby threw in jokes and comments, watching their respective partners (or “partners”) feed off each other’s energy.

“Alright, I’m kinda cold, actually. Are you guys ready to go in?” Dani stretched her arms in front of her, and Jake heard her shoulders pop quietly.

“Yeah, that sounds good. You good with that, Kirbs?”

Kirby nodded and stood up, then blinked, looking disoriented. Jake got up after him, then realized  _ why _ he looked disoriented.

“Holy shit, you were right, this stuff hits different.”

Dani looked the boys up and down, looking thoughtful.

“Hey, I don’t think I want you guys driving home like this, actually. Are you guys good on the couch? It folds out, I’m sure it’ll fit you both.”

“Uh... Kirby, I’m good with that, how about you?”

“That’s... Probably a good idea.” Kirby started worrying at his lip again, and Jake put his index finger against Kirby’s mouth.

“Hey. You’re chewing again.”

“Right, sorry.”

For a moment, they stood like that, Jake’s fingertip just barely ghosting against Kirby’s lips, before turning back to see Aubrey looking at them with a raised eyebrow. She turned around quickly, pretending not to have seen anything. Jake blushed, but he focused himself on grabbing Kirby’s hand and walking back inside after the girls.

They stayed up a bit longer, and Jake explained the minutiae of his college situation to Dani while Aubrey introduced Kirby to Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD. in the other room. (He sounded delighted.) Before Aubrey and Kirby got back into the room, Dani put her hand gently on top of Jake’s.

“Hey, Jake? Be careful. You might really have something here.”

Jake just nodded, seeing an intense... Something in Dani’s eyes. After a few more minutes, Aubrey and Kirby came back, Kirby now wearing a bright red blanket around his shoulders.

“I think this one might be ready for bed. Do you guys need help setting up the couch?” Aubrey ruffled Kirby’s bright pink hair, and Kirby giggled, then clamped his hand over his mouth.

Jake felt something deep inside him shift, but he didn’t know quite what it was as he said, “Oh, no, we’ve got it.”

“Alright, you two, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Dani said, waving to the boys before heading into her and Aubrey’s bedroom. Kirby giggled again, and Jake shook his head just slightly, smiling.

“I should probably go to bed too,” Aubrey yawned. She gestured vaguely to the fridge, saying, “If you guys get hungry, there’s, like, a fuckton of pasta. I made way too much the other day.”

“Good to know. Good night, I love you guys.” Jake waved at Aubrey.

Aubrey more or less yawned the words, “I love you too,” before making her way into the bedroom.

Jake was stretching his arms above his head and trying to adjust to the newly darkened room when he felt Kirby grab his belt loop and pull him down to the couch. Kirby giggled again from behind him, resting his chin on Jake’s shoulder from behind. Jake realized he was now sitting in Kirby’s lap.

“You wanted to say something before Aubrey opened the door, right?” Jake prompted Kirby, trying to draw his attention away from the fact that his hands were shaking.

“Oh, that was nothin’.” Kirby nuzzled his face into Jake’s neck, and Jake felt his heart race as Kirby’s warm breaths brushed his skin.

“Oh, alright, then.” Jake pulled Kirby’s arms from where they were wrapped around him, laughing a bit as Kirby whined. “Here, let’s set up the bed.”

“Alright...” Kirby stood reluctantly, helping Jake pull the couch out. Once the bed had been made, though, he was pulling Jake down on top of him, laying on his back.

“Whoa– Kirbs, you’re really touchy when you’re high.” Jake laughed, starting to relax a bit more as he rolled off of Kirby. 

“Sorry.” Kirby yawned and stretched his arms out, then rolled over onto his side.

“Hey, it’s not like it’s a bad thing.” Jake found himself scooting towards Kirby and draping an arm around his waist.

Kirby sighed contentedly, and Jake realized exactly what had shifted inside him earlier.

He was in love.

Fuck. Jake was in love with his roommate– The same roommate who he was pretending to date for the next 48 hours, who he’d been pretending to date for the last 36. And he liked it.

He liked it even more when Kirby nuzzled up against him, and he sighed, letting himself smile and pretend they were together for a bit longer as Kirby giggled at the feeling of Jake’s breath against his neck.

They could talk things out after the wedding. But for now? For now, things were fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that ending bit is a big part of what motivated me to write this fic... i had this mental image of them falling asleep on dani and aubreys couch and jake just realizing, oh, fuck. 
> 
> also im 100% projecting my own tendencies onto kirby dont call me out sjkdahflksdjk-


	9. im proud of you still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from green by cavetown (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/green)
> 
> the chapter titles: explained

Kirby woke up with an arm around his waist. It took a moment for him to remember falling asleep with Jake on Aubrey and Dani’s couch, and he yawned.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever woken up before Jake.

He slowly extracted himself from Jake’s embrace, blushing as he realized Dani was sitting at the dining table a few yards away and calmly watching him while she sipped a cup of tea.

“Hey, I wondered how long you two were going to be asleep. It’s ten already– Even Aubrey is almost awake. Want some eggs?”

Kirby made an incoherent noise. Dani raised an eyebrow, and he sighed and nodded. Dani smiled gently as she went to go make some eggs, a far cry from the feral girl he’d seen ripping open a bag of flour with her teeth and lifting Jake into the air for a dramatic hug.

“Is scrambled okay?”

“Yeah...”

Kirby sat at the table, feeling his eyelids droop, but trying to stay awake. When Dani put his plate in front of him, he realized how hungry he was. “Thanks, Dani.”

“Of course.” Dani sighed, walking over to the couch, then gently kicking Jake in the back. 

Jake made an ungodly noise as he squirmed out of bed, and Aubrey cursed from the bedroom.

“Hell yeah, two birds with one stone!” Dani pumped her fist comically, and Kirby laughed despite himself. 

“You guys are so mean...” Jake sighed, pulling himself to his feet. “Can I have some eggs, though?”

“Don’t worry, I’m already making some for you and Aubrey.” Dani went back to the skillet, which was sizzling quietly. Jake walked over to sit next to Kirby, looking just as sleepy as Kirby felt.

They ate their eggs in silence. When they were done, Kirby still felt like going back to bed for a hundred years, but Jake was raring to go.

“So, I was thinking, my friend Hollis lives near here, and we should visit them today before the party, I haven’t gotten to talk to them for a few months...”

“I’m gonna need some caffeine first, but, if you can get ahold of an RC Cola for me, I’m down for that.” Kirby rubbed his eyes as Dani chuckled quietly at something Aubrey whispered to her.

“I figured that’d be your price– I’ll be right back.” Jake slipped out the door, and Kirby cursed under his breath.

“Yeah, he has a tendency of planning ahead like that.” Dani sipped her tea. “You guys are adorable, though.”

Aubrey laughed. “God, I’m halfway tempted to go with you guys to hang out with Hollis... I know Jake likes getting some alone time with them, though.”

Dani made a quiet grumbling noise, and Aubrey sighed. Kirby was careful not to react to that.

He did react to Jake coming through the door with a can of RC Cola, though.

“Oh, fuck yes– Jake, I could literally kiss you right now.”

“Yes, you literally could, Kirby, my roommate and boyfriend.” Jake gave Kirby a slight warning look, but he kept his tone jovial.

“Shit, yeah, I’m just– Hey, can you come over here so I can kiss you?”

Jake laughed, but did as Kirby asked. Kirby put one hand on each side of his face, pulling him down into a short, sweet kiss that probably looked pretty awkward, but felt nice, so he didn’t mind.

When Jake pulled away, he handed Kirby the canned soda, then started doing his stretches in the kitchen.

“I had that stashed in the car for if you got grumpy. Fuck, though, I kind of wanted to get it last night... You’ve got me addicted to it, I swear.”  
  


“Hey, it’s addictive stuff.” Kirby shrugged, then glanced up at an uncharacteristically quiet Aubrey.

Aubrey had her phone camera trained on all three of them, but she lowered the phone when Kirby looked at her. “Sorry! Sorry. It’s just, you two looked so cute, and then I just sort of wanted to capture the moment...”

“There’s a lot of that from you, huh?” Kirby joked.

“Yeah... Um, if you want, I can delete the picture.”

“Can you just show it to me?”

“Ooh, me too! Ow, fuck, I overdid that one...” Jake grimaced in the middle of a stretch.

Aubrey walked over to Kirby first, showing him her screen.

The picture was... Cute. It was really cute, actually. Something about the angle, Jake’s bangs brushing against Kirby’s forehead, Kirby’s hands on Jake’s cheeks... Something about it made Kirby ache.

He managed to force out the words, “That’s a really good picture, Aubrey. You can keep it.”

Aubrey grinned sheepishly and ruffled his hair, making him laugh and swat at her hands. Then, she walked over to Jake and showed him the picture.

Jake took the phone out of her hands, eyes wide. Without looking away from it, he said, “Hey, Kirby? Can I post this on Instagram?”

Kirby sputtered for a moment before saying, “Uh, we’ll talk about it later.”

“Right, yeah. Aubrey, do send that to me, though. The composition, the angle... Holy shit, dude.”

“Will do!” Aubrey looked pretty proud of herself as she tapped something out on her phone. Then, she frowned. “Hey, Jake, I know this is sort of a weird favor to ask, but would you be willing to do my nails before the party?”

“Oh, fuck yeah!” Jake rolled his shoulders, then sat back down next to Kirby. “Hell, I’ll do everyone’s, if you all want. That includes you, Kirby.”

“I’m still not a nail polish guy, but thanks.”

“Well, I’d be willing to try it.” Dani tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. “I’ve kind of been eyeing Aubrey’s black polish lately...”

“Alright, I’ll come back here after Hollis’s place, does that sound good?”

“Yeah, that sounds great. You should probably go pick up a change of clothes at some point, though.” 

“Oh, right... Will do.” Jake cracked his neck, then looked down at Kirby. “You ready to go?”

Kirby sighed, finishing off his RC Cola. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“See you guys!” Aubrey waved as the boys headed out to Jake’s car.

“Hollis’s place is pretty close, but I know you aren’t really a walking guy, so...”

“Yeah, driving sounds like a plan.” Kirby got into the passenger’s seat of Jake’s car and watched the road as they drove a bit further into Aubrey and Dani’s neighborhood. The further they drove, the more trailers there were, and the less nice they looked. Finally, they stopped at a trailer with about ten different bee windchimes dangling from the edge of the roof. A bright yellow motorbike was parked neatly in the carport.

Jake got out of the car, gesturing for Kirby to follow him up to the porch. He knocked rhythmically, and a disheveled looking person with more piercings than Kirby thought he’d ever seen on one person opened the door. They rubbed their eyes a bit, then grinned. “Oh, fuck, Jake, come on in! Who’s with you?” 

“This is Kirby, my boyfriend.”

Kirby waved awkwardly.

“Oh, you guys finally got together, nice, nice... Sorry it’s kind of a mess, Em was over last night and I kind of just woke up. I’m Hollis, by the way.” They gave Kirby a cool nod. He tried to nod back. It was probably a lot less cool.

“I get it, hey, why do people keep saying ‘finally’ when I tell them Kirby’s my boyfriend, though?” Jake followed Hollis inside.

Around Hollis, Kirby was very aware of his height. Jake was bad enough, and he was average height– This person had to be at least five foot eleven, maybe more. Kirby’s neck hurt from looking up at them.

They sighed. “Jake, you are so obvious with your feelings. The whole way you talk about people changes when you’re into them.”

“That’s... Really embarrassing, actually.”

“How was it not embarrassing the first ten times I told you that?” Hollis smirked a little bit and sat on the end of their couch, gesturing at the other seats in the room.

“Um, my partners weren’t there the first ten times, mostly.”

Hollis laughed. Kirby realized that he had never been more simultaneously intimidated by and infatuated with someone in his life, and silently prayed for the encounter to end soon, but he realized that probably wouldn’t happen when Jake gently took his hand and led him over to the couch to sit with Hollis.

“You guys are in town for the wedding, right?”

“Yeah, pretty exciting, right?”

“Yeah. I sent a gift, Aubrey wanted to invite me, but Dani still isn’t, you know... Psyched about me and her fiance being friends, considering my general, um... Delinquency.”

“Yeah.” Jake grimaced, then shrugged. “Well, I’ll let them know you said hi, at least?”

“Uh, yeah, that’d be cool.” Hollis looked kind of embarrassed, but Jake was back to his usual lopsided smile, elbowing Hollis in the ribs.

“Hey, she can’t be mad at my citrus friend.”

“Oh, are you still doing the whole... Cavetown thing?”

“Uh, yeah. Are you not?”

Hollis scratched the back of their head. “Not really. You know how it is, I just kind of lost interest.”

“Oh. Huh.” Jake pursed his lips and looked at the ground. “What _are_ you interested in right now?”

“Oh, you know. Watsky, Say Anything, Green Day... Uh, a weird amount of Queen, also, but we don’t have to acknowledge that... Oh, Post Malone is pretty good, too.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Man, remember when we were kids and I played you American Idiot and you had to explain the F slur to me?”

“Haha, yeah, good times...” Hollis grinned. “God, we were pretty stupid back then, huh?”

“Yeah...” Jake smiled, but Kirby caught the slightest glint of sadness behind it. “We have to go, actually, but it was cool catching up...”

“Yeah. Should I tell the others you said hi?”

“Of course!” Jake stood up, then turned towards Hollis, arms outstretched expectantly. Hollis rolled their eyes, but they smiled and stood up to lean down and wrap their arms around Jake.

Kirby stood next to Jake until Hollis let go and walked them to the door. Before they could leave, though, Hollis put a hand on Kirby’s shoulder, giving him chills. 

“Hey, dude, uh... I know I don’t have to tell you this, but, treat Jake well, okay? He’s the only one we’ve got.” Hollis smiled, and Kirby managed to smile back.

“Yeah. Yeah, alright. That was already the plan, but...”

“Alright, cool. I’ll see you guys later.”

And with that, Hollis closed the door. Kirby looked to Jake, who took a deep breath, plastered on a big smile, and led Kirby back down to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah this one was also stuck in my head, i had to write it as soon as i had the idea. the actual idea itself went through a lot of different iterations, though- originally, jake and hollis were really buddy-buddy, and kirby realized his feelings when he realized he was jealous, but i decided that didnt totally fit the characters, for one thing, and, for another, i really wanted to get in some of the stuff ive been thinking and feeling about growing out of friends lately. then, it was from jakes pov, and jake was realizing how happy kirby made him when hollis pointed it out. finally, this just... came out when i sat down to write.
> 
> its probably one of my favorite chapters in the whole story, just because of the... domesticity of dani and aubreys trailer, and then the... i guess awkwardness? of hollis's.
> 
> (originally there was also one extra character in this chapter but i scrapped them almost immediately because they were literally just an in-joke... theyll probably show up in something else, though, and they were referenced, so. you know.)
> 
> also we were cheated out of an aubrey + hollis friendship in canon and someday i WILL write a fic about them tearing kepler the fuck up


	10. it happens all the time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from lemon boy by cavetown (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/lemon-boy)
> 
> its another two update day gang... this chapter is way too short asdhjkfkjfs

Jake kept his hands tight on the steering wheel as he drove towards the Lodge, blinking back tears as he drove. There were a few minutes of awful silence before Kirby spoke.

“Jake... Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Jake choked out, knowing he didn’t sound okay at all.

“I hate seeing you like this, please tell me what’s wrong.” Jake barely glanced at Kirby, but he saw enough concern in Kirby’s eyes that he actually gave in.

“Let me pull over first, okay?”

“Okay.” 

As soon as they passed a business with empty parking spaces, Jake pulled over into their parking lot and sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“It fuckin sucks, man.”

“What does?”   
  


“Seeing Hollis... Outgrow me.” Kirby put one of his stupidly soft hands on Jake’s, and Jake laughed. “I don’t know why... I can’t grow up with everybody else my age. Or even kind of my age. Hollis is over all the stuff I like, and they’re over  _ me _ , and... Kirby, I don’t know what to do. Everybody outgrows me, and I just feel... Lost.”

“Believe it or not... I know how that feels. Jake, I’ve felt like that my entire life. They clearly still care about you, but... I know it can be a bitch to grow apart.”

“It just hurts. Seeing people leave you behind.”

“I know. But, Jake?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not gonna leave you behind. Okay?”

“...Okay.”

Kirby leaned over and pressed a tiny kiss to Jake’s cheek, and he laughed, despite himself. Kirby smiled proudly at that. “See, there’s good stuff too, right?”

“Like nail polish.”

“And tie dye shirts.”

“And Smash.”

“And family.”

“And you.”

“...And you.”

Kirby reached over to wipe away a tear Jake didn’t even realize was on his cheek, and Jake imagined that his hand lingered, just for a moment, before going back to Kirby’s lap.

“Thanks, man. You’re a real one.”

“Of course. Now, are you ready to get back on the road?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”


	11. theres a place where i belong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from big bowl in the sky by cavetown (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/big-bowl-in-the-sky)
> 
> this chapter is very long to make up for that last one hfadjhfj

Jake sighed as he plopped down on Dani and Aubrey’s couch, Kirby following after him. “Yeah, I mean, I kind of freaked out, but Kirby fixed me up good as new, and I’m basically fine.”

Dani was in the kitchen, washing a collection of mismatched plates. “Damn. You know, I may not be their biggest fan, but it’s still a bummer that you aren’t feeling close to them anymore... They’ve kind of felt like a constant for the last, what, ten years?”

“Just about.” Jake shook his head, looking almost incredulous. “I don’t know, maybe it’s for the best. Maybe I need to figure out who I am on my own.”

“I’d say you’ve already done that,” Kirby mused. “I mean, I’ve been living with you for a year and a half now, and... You seem pretty confident in the things you love. Maybe you’re just naturally going in different directions.”

“Maybe that’s been the case for a while,” Aubrey said, sitting on Jake’s other side with a tray of nail polish and grooming tools. “You really have changed, Jake– Not just since you and Kirby have been roommates, but since you went to college. You’ve grown. So has Hollis. Maybe you just don’t fit together the way you used to. You can still be friends, you just... Don’t need to be best friends.”

“Yeah.” Jake reached over and squeezed Kirby’s hand. “Maybe you’re right.”

Kirby smiled at Jake, and Aubrey laughed. “Anyways, we should get started on this whole nail polish thing, if you’re ready.”

“Of course I am!” Jake took the tray from Aubrey and rummaged through it until he found a bottle of clear polish. “Should we just do it on the floor?”

“Sure, I’ll get a stool or something for a table.”

While Aubrey was clearing off a footstool by the door, Kirby leaned over to Jake. “What’s the clear polish for?”

“Oh, so, there’s two different clear polishes, a top coat and a bottom coat.” Jake set the clear polish he was holding on the coffee table and pulled another out of the tray. “The bottom coat protects the natural nail from staining, and, in my experience, makes the color easier to remove when you’re done with it. Then you put on whatever color coats you’re going to add– I normally do one or two coats of my base color, maybe with one coat of glitter if I’m feeling extra cute– And then you add the top coat. This is a quick-dry top coat, but not all top coats are quick-dry– All top coats protect the color coats, though, and keep them from chipping as fast.”

“That sounds... Really time consuming.”

“It is, but, taking into account that Aubrey buys decent quality cosmetics, especially for drug store stuff, it lasts for a week or so, if she’s careful not to chew.”

Aubrey carried over the footstool and set it down on the floor between the coffee table and the TV. “Trust me, I need the effort– I do not care enough to do my nails more than that, even the lazy way.”

“Huh. That’s pretty cool.” While Jake walked over to Aubrey and started poking at the skin around her nails with some kind of plastic stick, Kirby started looking through the tray of nail care products, examining each bottle and tube’s ingredient list and instructions.

“Wow, your hands are really soft,” Jake said, holding up one of Aubrey’s hands appreciatively.

“I’ve been moisturizing,” Aubrey proudly declared.

“Nice, nice...” Jake put the stick to the side and took one of the tubes Kirby had set on the table, something called “cuticle cream.” Kirby wasn’t even certain he knew what a cuticle was. He watched as Jake massaged it into the bits of skin he’d just pushed away from Aubrey’s nails, confirming Kirby’s suspicions as to what a cuticle was, and making him look down at his own nails, pushing at the slightly ragged bits of skin around his own nails.

Was he supposed to be doing stuff to them?

Jake put the cream back down on the table and started applying base coat to Aubrey’s nails. While he did that, Kirby found a bottle of nail polish at the very bottom of the tray that was almost the exact same shade of pink as his hair. He turned it over in his hands, reading the label quietly to himself– “Georgia peach.”

“What’re you lookin’ at?” Dani had walked over to the couch at some point and was leaning down to peer at the bottle in Kirby’s hands.

“Oh, uh... It’s just, this polish is my favorite color, and I love peaches, and I think that’s kind of funny. And I’m actually from Georgia– Well, kind of.”

“You know, Jake did offer to paint your nails, too...” Dani grinned slyly. “I think you should take him up on it. It’ll take a bit longer than Aubrey’s, because Aubrey does a lot of the maintenance herself, but, if he’s willing to do my nails...”

Kirby looked at the hand Dani had placed on her hip. Her cuticles were a bit rougher looking than his, and she had dirt under her nails and calluses on her fingertips.

“But, I mean... God, this is going to sound bad, but it’s sort of a girl thing. And I know that doesn’t mean shit, but I also know I don’t pass very well, and pink nails probably wouldn’t help that.”

Jake took a break from blowing on Aubrey’s nails to say, “I won’t be offended if you take it off before we go back to school, you know.”

Kirby felt his face heat up as he realized Jake had heard the whole conversation, but he shrugged and said, “I guess I’ll give it a try.”

“Nice!” Aubrey rolled her shoulders as she stood, gesturing for Dani to take her place and then heading towards the couch.

“Wait, are you just doing the clear coat for the wedding?”

“Oh, no– I’m doing black with rainbow flecks. We’re just waiting for my base coat to dry, and he may as well get started on Dani’s while we do that.”

“Right, okay.” Kirby watched as Jake examined Dani’s hands and sighed.

“Dani, you’ve got some really gnarly calluses here.”

“I know, I know...”

“I can put some lotion on you, at least, but you’ll have to wait for it to dry, is that alright?”

“I guess, yeah.” Dani looked at Aubrey and Kirby and rolled her eyes as Jake grabbed a bottle of hand lotion and started slowly massaging it into Dani’s hands. 

“Huh. He’s thorough.” Kirby couldn’t stop staring at Jake’s careful fingers dancing over Dani’s hands– The hands of a gardener, not a princess.

“Yeah, well, he cares about what he does.” Aubrey leans back, looking over at Kirby. “You know, Dani tells me he used to charge five bucks a manicure for kids at his high school. Well, ten, if he had to do the kind of maintenance stuff he’s doing for Dani right now.”

“It was a pretty good side gig until Mama started letting me do a bit more around the Lodge.” Jake was examining Dani’s hands, then nodded, looking satisfied. “It’s not as good as a proper scrub, but I know you’d kill me if I brought out the pumice stone...”

“Damn right I would,” Dani said, sounding alarmingly like Mama as she stood and walked over to the couch, gesturing for Kirby to go sit across from Jake.

Kirby got up and went over to Jake, trying to keep his hands from shaking, but apparently failing, as Jake took his hands and murmured, “Wow, you’re really nervous. Are you sure this is okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you if I change my mind, alright?”

“Okay.” Jake grabbed some kind of curved stick from the tray. “I’m gonna file your nails a bit, you’ve been chewing them, so there’s a lot of little snags and tears.”

Kirby just nodded as Jake ran what Kirby now realized was a nail file along the edges of his nails. After a minute or two, he realized his hands had stopped shaking, and, by the time Jake was pushing back his cuticles, he was totally relaxed. He realized the cuticle cream smelled ever-so-faintly of roses and smiled absentmindedly as Jake rubbed it in.

“There we go... I’ll do your base coat, then deal with Dani.”

Kirby watched as Jake focused intently on brushing the clear polish onto his nails, the scent of acetone making him a bit dizzy. After he finished the first hand, he glanced up at Kirby to make sure he was doing okay. Kirby realized how close they were and shivered a bit, but smiled encouragingly. Jake nodded and went back to applying the polish to Kirby’s nails.

Once Jake was done, he blew gently on Kirby’s nails, then gestured to the couch. As Kirby walked back over to sit next to Aubrey, he realized the girls had been quietly chatting the whole time– He had just been so focused on Jake’s work on his nails that he hadn’t noticed. He blushed a bit at the realization.

“Wow, are you alright?” Aubrey raised an eyebrow at Kirby.

“Yeah, I’m fine– Uh, my binder is a little tight,” Kirby lied.

“Oh, right. Maybe you should take it off?”

Kirby felt a wave of dysphoria at the thought of being seen without a binder. “Uh, I don’t want to mess up the polish...”

“Right, right...” Aubrey tapped her fingers against her knees. The dull sound soothed Kirby, and he found himself humming quietly to himself, going along with the tempo she was setting.

After a few minutes of that, Aubrey looked over at him. “Hey, did you ever do choir?”

“What? Uh, no, I always wanted to, but they wouldn’t let me sing with the boys, so...” Kirby shrugged.

“That’s kind of a bummer, you sound pretty good.”

“Did you? Do choir, I mean.”

“Nah, I was always a band kid. Best damn trumpet in the school, but only because I started learning three years before the rest of the band.” Aubrey laughed.

“Oh, I played my mom’s old clarinet for a few years, actually. I hated it, but I wanted to prove to my parents that I was committed enough to music for them to buy me a ukulele.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot you played that.” Aubrey looked thoughtful. “I was never a string kid... I tried to learn to play the bass at one point, but I was awful at it.”

Kirby tried to imagine Aubrey playing the bass, but he just wasn’t able to visualize it the way he could visualize her holding a trumpet. “Huh. Trumpet suits you better, honestly.” 

“You think? I’ve actually been practicing again lately, I wanna incorporate it into my magic act somehow...”

“Oh, that sounds really cool!” Kirby laughed a bit, remembering what Joseph said about her and Dani’s eccentricity. “I’ll have to see one of your shows sometime.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet.” Aubrey grinned at Kirby.

Jake looked up at Kirby and Aubrey, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, Aubrey, it’s your turn, where’s your color coat?”

She produced a small bottle of polish from her pocket and went to sit across from Jake. Dani came and sat next to Kirby, nudging him gently.

“You’ve never done this before, huh? Not even before transitioning?”

“Nope.” Kirby started worrying at his lips again, wishing his nails were dry enough for him to reach into his pocket for his chapstick. “Liking pink made me uncomfortable enough, nail polish was a no go when I was little. I was a total tomboy.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine Jake as a tomboy, I won’t lie. He was a little drag queen before he even knew he was a boy.”

“I saw a few pictures of you guys as kids. Drag queen isn’t the word I’d use, but he definitely had the energy of a particularly feminine gay man.”

“That’s fair. I’ll have to dig out the pictures of him with his first makeup set, though. He wasn’t sure how to apply the blush– It was sort of a creamy thing– So he took the sponge that was next to the blush, covered it in the stuff, and then just mushed the blush against each of his cheeks... In the shape of the sponge, which was made to look like a star. He looked like a glam rocker.”

“Aw!” Kirby tried to imagine Jake now with big pink stars on his cheeks. It was shockingly easy.

Jake rolled his eyes, blushing (unfortunately, not in the shape of stars). “Aubrey’s been trying to get me to redo that look, but with decent makeup, for years now. You know, like those picture remakes people do for Christmas sometimes.”

“Oh my god, that’s so cute! Jake, you should totally do it!” Kirby grinned, and Jake looked back down at Aubrey’s nails.

“Quit distracting me, you guys...”

Dani laughed. “I didn’t say nothin’.”

They sat comfortably for a few minutes before Jake said, “Okay, Kirby, you’re back up! Get over here.”

Kirby obediently walked back over to the makeshift nail station, holding the bottle of pink polish he’d found.

“Georgia peach, huh?” Jake shook the bottle, then took one of Kirby’s hands in his to start painting the polish onto his nails. Kirby looked down at the contrast of their hands– Kirby’s smooth and soft, Jake’s skinny and freckled. Jake was utterly focused on Kirby’s nails, and Kirby tried to distract himself by studying Jake’s hair. His roots were starting to show.

“We’re gonna have to do your hair again soon, you know.” Jake glanced up at Kirby and just smiled in acknowledgement, then started on his other hand. “Maybe we could do it next weekend?”

“Sounds good,” Jake murmured. Kirby smiled at the tone of his voice, almost forgetting that it was all an act for the wedding...

And then he remembered. Sure, Jake might be kissing him and painting his nails and saying he loved him, but he didn’t love him like _that_. And Kirby knew it shouldn’t hurt the way it did, but he still felt like a knife had been sunk into his chest. 

When Jake set Kirby’s hand down, he leaned forward to give Kirby a kiss on the forehead, and Kirby swallowed back tears.

“Hey. You alright?”

“Yeah, it’s– The nail polish smell, it’s fucking with my head, is there another room I could hang out in while this dries?”

“Oh, yeah, you can hang out in our room, if you want.” Aubrey smiled sympathetically. “I’ll go in and hang out with you as soon as my top coat’s done.”

“Thank you guys so much, sorry, Jake– I tried.”

“It’s okay, Kirbs. Just trying it, that was really cool of you to do. I love you.”

“I– I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was... emotional to write. at the least. also? the fucking intimacy KILLED me


	12. everybody scares me but you, nobody scares me but you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from "nostalgia in my bedroom" by, you guessed it, cavetown (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/nostalgia-in-my-bedroom)
> 
> i decided to post the last few chapters all today as a lil treat for all you quarantinarinos (and cuz im impatient) so have fun with em! i really, really hope you love them as much as i love you! (though thats probably impossible <3)

Jake helped Dani dump out a few bags of candy into bowls while Aubrey and Kirby finished blowing up balloons.

“Thank you guys again for helping with this, you totally didn’t have to.” Dani gently slugged Jake’s shoulder, and he laughed.

“Hey, I’m just glad Kirby was down– I’ll take any excuse to hang out with my favorite girls.”

Jake glanced back at Kirby, who smiled. “It’s really cool hanging out with you guys, don’t worry.”

“Oh, fuck, I think I hear someone outside!” Aubrey ran over to their stereo and fiddled with a few dials, then pulled out her phone and plugged it into the aux cord. An upbeat pop song started to fill the room, and–

“Are you playing the Mamma Mia soundtrack at your fucking bachelorette party?” Kirby looked incredulous, and Aubrey blushed.

“Uh, yes?”

Jake started laughing, and Dani shook her head. “There’s other things on the playlist, but Aubrey insisted we add the entire soundtrack of Mamma Mia...”

“Hey, I’m not complaining!” Kirby laughed. “It’s one of my favorite musicals, actually.”

“I thought you weren’t a theater kid?” Jake teased.

“Oh, shut up– I’m not an  _ actor _ , there’s a difference.”

“Sure there is.”

Jake took Kirby’s hand and followed Dani and Aubrey to the door, where they saw that, sure enough, an old pickup truck had pulled up. A butch in a bright yellow jacket climbed out, holding a six pack of beers in one hand and flashing a peace sign with the other. She ran up the porch steps to hug Dani.

“Pigeon! You’re–”

Pigeon stepped back, looking down at the Hornet insignia on the breast of her jacket proudly. “Yeah, I know. Can you believe they’re gettin’ married?” She gestured vaguely to Aubrey and Dani, who looked at each other and smiled. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy– Oh!” Jake turned towards Kirby, who looked a bit tense already. “This is Kirby, my boyfriend. Kirby, this is Pigeon.”

“Hey, weird name gang!” Pigeon held out her hand for a fist bump. Kirby obliged, looking confused.

“Uh, yeah!”

Dani and Pigeon headed on into the house, chatting excitedly, but Jake stayed on the porch with Kirby and Aubrey. After a few minutes, Aubrey cracked her neck, then turned towards the boys. “You know, you guys should probably take off your binders at some point if you’re planning to drink– Trust me, getting drunk in a binder sucks ass.”

Jake nodded knowingly, but Kirby didn’t look convinced. Jake weighed his logic against Kirby’s stubbornness in his head for a moment before saying, “Kirby, your hoodie hides your chest really well, and Aubrey and Dani don’t exactly hang out with transphobes. Would you rather be free of your tiny fabric cage, or end up falling asleep in your binder?”

Kirby actually spent a second thinking about it before answering. “Okay, fine, I’ll take it off, but not before I’m planning to get a drink.” Jake nodded, happy to compromise if it meant Kirby was safer than he would be otherwise. “Speaking of which, I think I saw some sweet tea in there– I might go grab some.”

Jake, against his better judgement, pulled Kirby into a short kiss before he could go inside. When they parted, Aubrey was holding her hands over her heart and smiling. Both boys blushed, and Kirby went on into the trailer.

“You really like him, huh?” Aubrey lowered her hands to her hips, and her smile turned sly.

“I– Yeah, I guess I do. But look at him– He’s amazing. Really, he’s out of my league...”

“Aw, no he isn’t,” Aubrey said, slugging him on the shoulder. “You guys are perfect for each other– Just the right amount of, well, everything. And don’t think I didn’t see you blushing while you were doing his nails, either, Jake, I see all.”

Jake really blushed at that. “I was that obvious, huh?”

“Yeah... You’re adorable.” Aubrey leaned forward, putting her elbows on the railing surrounding the porch.

They stood there for a few minutes before Aubrey stretched her arms above her head. “Well, I’m gonna head in.”

“Hey, wait, who all did you invite?”

“Uh, let’s see... Pigeon’s already here, and so are you and Kirby. That just leaves Duck, Janelle, and Moira.”

“That’s a really small guest list. Not to mention, like, 50% male.”

Aubrey shrugged. “Everyone’s busy. Spring break– What can you do?” 

“That’s fair. I think I’m gonna go inside, too, actually– If that’s everyone that’s gonna be here, I’m totally over binding today.”

Inside, Kirby was nervously sipping sweet tea from a red cup while Pigeon and Dani laughed about something.

“Hey, what’re you guys up to?” Aubrey kissed Dani on the cheek.

Dani grinned lazily. “Oh, just talking. Hey, babe, can you text everyone to see when they’ll be here?”

“Yeah, sure, let me just...” Aubrey walked over to the stereo and picked up her phone to send out the message. While she was doing that, Jake headed into their bathroom to squirm out of his binder. He heard Kirby’s familiar knock on the door and said, “Come in.”

Kirby stepped inside and cleared his throat awkwardly. “You know, Jake... You don’t have to be so method, if you don’t want to.”

“Is this about me kissing you on the porch?” Jake pulled his shirt back down, setting his binder on the counter and turning towards Kirby.

“Uh, kind of... I mean, you’ve been really touchy feely today. And I don’t mind it, but I thought you might be feeling pressured, and...”

“Hey, no. It’s fine.” Jake smiled at Kirby, ignoring the increase in his heart’s tempo. “It’s kind of nice, actually... I guess it’s just been a while.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Kirby scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Thanks for the concern, Kirbs.” Jake put a hand on Kirby’s cheek and started to pull him in for a kiss, then thought better of it and redirected himself to press a kiss to his forehead instead.

Kirby rolled his eyes and put his own hand on the back of Jake’s neck, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Jake on the lips before heading back into the living room, leaving Jake standing in the bathroom with strawberry chapstick and a smile on his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooh, jakeys in troubleeee


	13. i dont know where im supposed to go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from fool by cavetown. for reasons. ;) (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/fool)

Kirby leaned against Jake’s side as they climbed the stairs to Amnesty Lodge. 

“Fuck, it’s cold...” Jake was shivering against Kirby, fumbling with his keys.

“We can warm up inside,” Kirby said, tightening the arm he had wrapped around Jake.

“Right, yeah...” Jake finally had the front door unlocked, and they stepped inside before he bolted the door again. “God, I don’t really want to sleep, but we have such a big day tomorrow...”

Kirby kept his arm around Jake and walked with him back to the room they had been sharing. Once they were inside, Jake carefully extracted himself to drop his jacket on the floor, then bent down to take off his shoes. Kirby sat down on the bed to remove his own shoes, but, after a moment, saw Jake taking his hands.

At some point, Jake had painted his nails blue– The same shade as his eyes.

“What’re you up to?”

“I wanna dance with you.” Jake was smiling at Kirby, and the latter felt his heartbeat quicken at the idea. “You know, so it won’t be so weird tomorrow...”

“Oh, right. Yeah. Okay.” Kirby stood up, his hands still in Jake’s. When Jake pulled his hands away to fumble with his phone, Kirby felt something in his chest ache, but the familiar opening strains to Cavetown’s “Fool” and Jake’s hands returning to hold his made him feel better.

“Here... Put this hand here, and...” Jake placed Kirby’s hand carefully on his waist, then put his own hand on Kirby’s shoulder, keeping their other hands clasped. Kirby intertwined their fingers, and Jake giggled quietly as they started to sway, then move in a circle.

When the beat picked up in the second verse, Jake twirled Kirby around in front of him, and Kirby laughed, sighing happily when he returned to his original position in front of Jake, gazing up at those blue eyes of his. 

Somehow, by the end of the song, their bodies were pressed against each other. They swayed like that for a while before Kirby looked back up at Jake, starting, “Hey, uh–”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by Jake’s lips against his. They were barely still for a second before Kirby found himself on his tiptoes, tilting his head to get a better angle and pulling his hand out of Jake’s to put it on the back of Jake’s neck. 

Jake tasted like beer.

Kirby didn’t like beer, exactly. He didn’t hate it, either, but he had opted for wine at the party. Beer had never been his first choice of flavor.

At that moment, though, beer was the taste of Jake’s lips, and Kirby couldn’t help but smile at that.

Jake took that as an invitation to kiss Kirby deeper, then start leaving a trail of kisses down the side of Kirby’s neck, making him gasp a bit. Kirby felt Jake smile against his collarbone, and there was just barely enough of a break in the trance Kirby had found himself in for him to force out the words, “Fuck, Jake– This is a bad idea.”

The world went still, even as Cavetown sang the first few lines of “Taking Care of Things.” After what could have been a second or an eternity, Jake pulled away, not making eye contact.

“Sorry, I just thought...”

“It– It’s okay. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay?” Kirby still felt electricity moving through his veins, but he managed to keep his hands steady as he stepped back from Jake. “I’m going to get into my pajamas, I think...”

“Yeah. Yeah, I won’t look.”

“I know you won’t.”

Jake turned the music off, and Kirby faced the wall as he changed, his mind racing at 90 miles an hour around the idea of Jake’s lips, Jake’s breath, Jake’s hands...

“I think I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Of course.” Kirby walked over to the bed and patted Jake’s shoulder, then laid down with his back to Jake’s. “I’ll– I’ll see you in the morning. I... Love you.”

“I love you too,” Jake murmured.

Kirby lay awake for a bit longer, Jake’s deep breaths not soothing him the way they usually did. He couldn’t get the kiss out of his mind, the way it felt when Jake’s fingers tangled in his hair and their breaths mingled.

“Hey, Jake?” Kirby waited for a moment, listening for a response. When he didn’t get one, though, he sighed. “Yeah, I– I figured. Um... We can talk about it after the wedding. And I know I already said this, but... I still love you.”

The darkness did not reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this chapter is literally the reason i managed to finish this fic. i needed other people to be as emotionally invested in this scene as much as i am.
> 
> also, this chapter has art!!!! cuz im a sappy gay bitch (who needs practice)
> 
> check it out on tumblr! https://horsegirllucretia.tumblr.com/post/612904188542910464/


	14. im not insane, just irrational, but isnt that the same?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from cavetowns "poison" (listen at https://cavetown.bandcamp.com/track/poison)
> 
> [yells distantly]

Jake spent about twenty minutes pretending to be asleep before Kirby finally “woke” him.

“Hey, Jake... Shower’s free.”

Jake rolled over tiredly. The sun was very bright, filling the room with what Jake would consider a nice warmth if he weren’t just hungover enough for the light to be unpleasant. Kirby was buttoning up a white shirt in the doorway, and Jake felt an ache in his chest as he remembered the night before.

He could almost taste the ghost of Kirby’s chapstick on his own lips as he spoke. “Yeah, uh... Thanks.”

Their shoulders brushed against each other as Jake headed to the shower, grabbing his own button-up shirt from the closet. Throughout his shower, he couldn’t stop thinking about the night before... Sitting in a circle with his best friends, playing stupid games and giving Kirby little glances every once in a while... He’d really thought Kirby might feel the same way he did. But maybe Kirby was just watching him because he was a familiar landmark...

That didn’t explain Kirby kissing him, though. It didn’t explain the way Kirby looked up at him as they danced. 

Or maybe Jake was just imagining things– Seeing what he wanted to see. As he dried his hair, he glanced at the mirror and realized Kirby had been right about his roots. 

He sighed, going through the motions of dressing himself, blow drying his hair, brushing his teeth, and tying his tie. He would just have to apologize before the wedding– Then, maybe things would be fine.

Kirby was standing outside of the bathroom when Jake opened the door. “Uh– I can’t remember how to tie this,” he admitted, holding up a tie that matched his hair and nails perfectly. “Can you do it for me?”

“Yeah, here...” Jake draped the tie around Kirby’s neck, hands shaking as he carefully knotted it. “Uh, look in the mirror, let me know how that looks.”

“Right.” Kirby walked past Jake into the bathroom, examining himself for a few seconds before turning back to Jake and smiling that encouraging smile of his. “It looks great. Thanks, Jake.”

“Kirby, listen, about last night,” Jake started, but Kirby cut him off.

“Can we talk about it after the wedding? I don’t...” Kirby sighed deeply, looking down at the ground. “I don’t want to fuck things up, not right now.”

“Right... Yeah.” Jake stepped aside so Kirby could walk back into the hallway. “Uh... I’m going to see if I can help everybody set things up. Are you good on your own?”

“Yeah... Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be out as soon as I’ve had a coffee, alright?”

“Okay, yeah. See you in a few.” Jake flashed Kirby a peace sign, turning on his heel to head towards the door. He’d started to tell Kirby he loved him, but it caught in his throat. Jake kept walking.

Mama and Dani met him at the door, and Jake grinned when he saw them, pushing the night before out of his head. “Hey, guys– How can I help?”

“This one,” Mama said, gently pushing Dani through the door, “needs to get dressed, and stay out of our way! She doesn’t need to be arranging her own wedding. But we wouldn’t mind an extra pair of hands with the flowers.”

Dani laughed, rolling her eyes. “Fine, fine! I’ll be in my old room, somebody come get me when it’s time, okay?”

Jake nodded. “Alright– I’ll go deal with the flowers, I guess.”

As he stepped onto the porch, Mama grabbed his shoulder. “Hey. Jake. What’s wrong?”

“What?” Jake smiled at Mama, but he could tell she saw right through him, and his smile faltered.

“You’re too quiet. Somethin' must’ve happened.” Mama crossed her arms, making it clear to Jake that he didn’t have the option of changing the subject.

Jake sighed. “Alright, fine– I misread some stuff yesterday, and I guess it’s just a little awkward... I’ll be fine, soon, though. Don’t worry.”

Mama nodded, looking satisfied. “Alright. You’d better get it dealt with soon, though– I ain’t dealin with it for you, understood?”

“Understood.” Jake pulled Mama into a hug, then started down the stairs, scanning the setup in what was usually the parking lot for his dad and Joe. He saw them chatting with Aubrey’s dad and went over to meet them, asking how he could help.

Barclay walked him through a list of small tasks for getting things in order for the wedding, and, before he knew it, Jake was walking Kirby down to one of the arcs of chairs encircling the small raised platform in the middle of the lot, keeping an eye open for Aubrey and his hands around a small package Barclay said was for her.

“It’s not exactly a traditional wedding, but it was the best solution we could find for the lack of a groom.”

“Oh, right... I guess having one aisle and two brides would throw things off.” Kirby looked around the setup as they sat, surveying the guests that had started to trickle in. Jake followed his lead, watching as what must have been half the (admittedly tiny) town started to take their seats. He spotted Leo Turkesian’s delivery van climbing the hill and patted Kirby’s hand.

“Hey, I’ll be right back– Save my seat?” Kirby nodded, and Jake jumped up to meet Aubrey.

Leo, Duck, and Aubrey all climbed out of the van, Duck holding Dr. Harris Bonkers (who had a flower attached to the brim of what Jake recognized as his formal top hat) while Leo unloaded a few trays from the back for the reception. Jake gave Leo a quick nod as Leo headed into the Lodge before he ran over to hug Aubrey, wincing as he remembered he was binding. He stepped back to look at her– She’d done a slightly more conservative smokey eye with bright red accents and lipstick, and she was wearing a white button-up with a black bowtie and suspenders holding up a black, knee-length skirt over her Doc Martens. 

She giggled, hugging Jake again. “Jake, I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited in my life– Or more scared.”

“I know, you’re going to do great– Do you have the ring?”

Aubrey nodded excitedly, producing a rose gold ring that looked like two branches twisted around each other from her sleeve with a small flourish. 

“Oh, Aubrey– It’s gorgeous!”

“I know– I can’t believe this is happening!”

“Neither can I– God, Aubrey. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Aubrey pulled Jake into another hug. When she pulled back, she dabbed a single tear from her left eye. “I know.”

Duck clicked his tongue at her and Jake. “Come on, you two– There’s things to do.”

“Duck, wow. You cleaned up nice.” Duck was wearing a full suit, though his tie was tied clumsily and he had a bit of stubble on his chin.

“Yeah, yeah, quit distracting the bride, alright?”

“Fine... I’ll just go distract the other bride. Oh, wait! Aubrey, Dad told me to tell you to put this on.” Jake shoved the package into Aubrey’s hands, and she pulled out a black flower crown with a floral veil attached to it.

She looked it over appreciatively before putting it on. “He did great with this, it’s gorgeous!”

“I know, right? I’m going to go see Dani before Duck kills me– Break a leg!”

“I’ll do my best!”

Jake headed back into the Lodge, where he found Mama and Dani talking in hushed tones in the kitchen. Dani had her hair in an elegantly messy bun, and she was holding a white version of the crown Jake had given Aubrey. She was wearing a white button-up with floral lace sleeves and a white maxi skirt with white sandals peeking out below the hem, and Jake watched as Mama hugged her, then slipped something that glinted gold into Dani’s pocket– Probably Aubrey’s ring. Dani sighed, putting the crown on before noticing Jake.

She motioned for him to come into the kitchen, then hugged him. “Jake... I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Neither can I!” Jake sighed. “Dani, you look gorgeous... I’m so excited for you.”

Dani just smiled, looking anxious. “I am too. I just wish it would start already.”

Mama shook her head. “It will be starting in just a few minutes, so, Jake, get back out there, alright?”

“Alright– I love you guys.”

“I love you too.” Dani waved to Jake as he went back to his seat with Kirby.

When he sat down, Kirby whispered, “This is a lot of people.”

Jake whispered back, “They’re pretty popular, this is probably only a third of the people they considered inviting.”

Kirby shook his head incredulously. “I can’t imagine keeping up with this many friends.”

“I know, right?”

They went silent as violin music filled the air, followed shortly by a piano. Janelle and Vincent stood at the edge of the circle with their instruments, and Jake took a deep breath as Alexandra started down the aisle, scattering rose petals as she went. He remembered long nights babysitting her with Dani, and smiled as he realized how old she was getting. They locked eyes, and she smiled back.

Then, Jake heard a quiet gasp from the porch. Dani and Mama were standing there with their arms linked, and Aubrey and her father had stepped out from behind Leo’s van. Jake glanced between the brides as both of them smiled, then started walking down their respective aisles. They met on the platform in the center, where Duck was standing... Still holding Dr. Harris Bonkers.

It took a moment for Jake to process what was happening. He looked at the book in front of Duck, then the collar around Dr. Bonkers’s neck, then back to the book in front of Duck. Duck was stone faced as people started murmuring.

Dani had really agreed to let Aubrey’s pet bunny “officiate” their wedding ceremony.

Kirby turned slowly to Jake, looking incredulous. Jake just smiled and nodded.

His family was so fucking weird.

The wedding, of course, went off without a hitch– Even when Aubrey presented Dani’s ring with a magic trick, nobody stopped smiling. And when they kissed...

At first, Jake thought he was imagining it. Then, he glanced down to see Kirby’s fingers intertwining with his. Kirby’s peach-colored nails reflected the sunlight, and Jake felt his heart stop for just a second, then start beating again, faster and stronger.

As the crowd headed towards the Lodge, Dani caught Jake’s eye. He barely saw her mouth the words, “Go on,” but he smiled back at her as Kirby pulled him along to the edge of the woods.

“Alright. It’s time to talk.”


	15. falling doesnt feel so bad when i know youve fallen this way too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from cavetowns "devil town" (again, its linked in a few other chapters, since its where the fic title came from, so... no link)

Kirby did his best to swallow his nerves as he led Jake to the edge of the woods, glancing around to make sure nobody was listening before sighing and dropping Jake’s hand. He looked up at Jake, who somehow looked just as nervous as him, and felt something deep inside him twist.

“Jake, I, uh– About last night... Fuck, I don’t even know where to start.”

“Yeah. I’m really sorry, Kirbs, I don’t know what came over me– I mean, I do know what came over me. If you wanna hear it. But. Uh.” Jake tapped his foot, a nervous tic Kirby rarely saw from him.

“I... Do want to hear it, actually.” Kirby laughed awkwardly, looking down at the tiny wildflowers sprouting around them. “If that’s okay.”

“Okay. Um, Kirby, I want to start by saying I never would have even suggested this if I knew it would turn out this way, but... I think I love you.”

Kirby didn’t know what to say to that. Luckily, Jake pressed on.

“I mean, I think I have for a while– I just didn’t let myself think about it until other people were pointing it out and you were acting like you loved me the same way. I–”

“I think I do love you the same way, though,” Kirby blurted. “I mean, I didn’t realize it either. Not until after dinner that first day, but I guess it was too late by then. And I just kept realizing.”

Jake’s smile was a bit more hopeful now, and Kirby felt that twist deep in his gut starting to unravel itself. “I realized when we were going to bed at Dani and Aubrey’s. I– Fuck, Kirby, I wanted to lay like that for the rest of my life.”

“Shit.” Kirby exhales, feeling all the tension of the last few days slipping out with his breath. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“I mean... I have some ideas.” Kirby looked up at Jake as he felt his hand slide onto his shoulder.

Kirby felt his hands shaking as he reached up to “fix” Jake’s tie. “What kind of ideas?”

Jake’s hand moved from Kirby’s shoulder to his cheek, and Kirby realized Jake was shaking too. A kind of incredulous smile slowly spread across his face, and he grabbed onto Jake’s tie to gently pull him into a kiss. 

Kirby had never believed in the kiss at the end of the movie. He had never believed in a story’s end being defined by two people realizing they were in love, or a curse being broken by the force of that love. And kissing Jake,  _ really _ kissing Jake, only confirmed his suspicions.

As they walked back to the Lodge, hand in hand, he knew things were only beginning, and he couldn’t have felt better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SKFDBFJDSHJFKHJSKDFHKLJSDFHLKJSDFHKLJSDHFKLJDSFHLKJDSFHK
> 
> thank you all so much for coming along with me on this ride <3 i love you guys!!!!


End file.
